The turning point of the game came with 17 minutes left when players clashed after a ruck deep in Brumbies territory. Brumbies reserve hooker Josh Mann-Rea was tangled up with back-up Stormers prop Oli Kebble. The cameras didn't catch what started it, but they definitely saw Mann-Rea throw an elbow and punches at Kebble. A yellow card was quickly upgraded to a red card and the Brumbies had to play the rest of the game a man down. It was a brain explosion from Mann-Rea with the game still in the balance. The Stormers were leading 16-11 at the time, but booted a penalty and went on to score 15 unanswered points for a comfortable 31-11 win. Until that moment, the feeling was that the Brumbies were always just one break away from stealing the match. Mann-Rea will face time on the sideline, with the rake certain to front the SANZAAR judiciary after the incident. The lottery that comes with the judiciary means that it's anyone's guess how long he will be out for, if at all.

Baffling: Jaco Peyper made some shocking decisions in the Brumbies' loss to the Stormers. Photo: Getty Images

Mann-Rea's punches were inexcusable, but referee Jaco Peyper just had an absolute shocker when the heat came on in the contest. After Mann-Rea was sent off, the Brumbies kicked the ball deep into Stormers territory. It was rolling out when a Stormers player grabbed it and ran across the sideline. Peyper and his assistant deemed the ball was already out, despite clearly being in and gave the Stormers the lineout instead of a Brumbies attacking play seven metres from the line. Then came the kicker from Peyper, as the Stormers rolled to the other end of the field. Winger Dillyn Leyds jumped into the air and was tackled by Joseph Tomane while trying to score. The ball was knocked loose, Leyds got up shaking his head and everyone in the world of rugby saw that the ball was dropped. A defiant Peyper said "there was no separation" despite the video footage, and awarded a try to take the Stormers to a 24-11 lead. It was a shake-your-head moment that has become far too common in Peyper's refereeing days. The problem in Super Rugby is that there's little review of refereeing decisions and the impact they have.

BRUTAL START IN SOUTH AFRICA

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The Brumbies will be the walking wounded after the game and could need to fly reinforcements to South Africa after the first game of a two-match tour. Mann-Rea faces suspension, and that could open the door for Robbie Abel to join the touring party. Jarrad Butler was ruled out before kick-off with a knee injury that is set to keep him out of action for six weeks, and Ita Vaea is already flying to join the team in Cape Town. Then there was Henry Speight (face/eye) and Tomas Cubelli (leg) who face a test this week to recover from their injuries. Butler's absence meant Jordan Smiler started the match and former Australian sevens player Michael Wells made his Super Rugby debut from the bench. But Wells' debut was short-lived as he was taken off the field when Mann-Rea was red-carded in the second half so Stephen Moore could return as a specialist hooker. Speight is nearing the end of his Super Rugby stint this year as he gets prepared to turn his attention to the Australian sevens campaign for the Rio Olympics. Speight clashed heads with Christian Lealiifano and will have a face injury assessed this week.

Brain explosion: Josh Mann-Rea was sent off in the Brumbies' loss to the Stormers. Photo: Rohan Thomson

For all the red card and poor referee decisions, the Brumbies only had themselves to blame after dropping far too much ball to challenge for the win. They were superior with ball in hand, running for more than double the amount of metres than the Stormers. But the slippery conditions made it hard to control the ball and the Stormers were prepared to stay patient and swoop on any mistakes. It was a smart approach to the game and paid dividends as they scored three tries to one. The Brumbies scored 15 tries in their first three games of the season, but just didn't have the continuity to strike against the Stormers.

THE CHEETAHS CHALLENGE

The Brumbies got their season off to a perfect start with three wins from three games before running into the Stormers wall. Now they face a huge clash against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on the weekend to make sure they return to Canberra with at least one win from their South African trip. Winning away from home is crucial to Super Rugby success. South African tours are never easy, but the Brumbies will have at least targeted and hoped for one win from two games. The Cheetahs are one of the most unpredictable teams in the competition and they will sniff blood in the water when they come up against the Brumbies. The result will be huge for the Brumbies' season. If they win, they have got four wins and one loss from the first five games. But lose and all of a sudden they are back to the pack.